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Thyroid disease is a medical condition that affects the structure and/or function of the thyroid gland.The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck and produces thyroid hormones [1] that travel through the blood to help regulate many other organs, meaning that it is an endocrine organ.
Thyroid hormones act on nearly every cell in the body. They act to increase the basal metabolic rate, affect protein synthesis, help regulate long bone growth (synergy with growth hormone) and neural maturation, and increase the body's sensitivity to catecholamines (such as adrenaline) by permissiveness. [12]
Thyroid hormones are important for normal development. [28] They increase the growth rate of young people, [29] and cells of the developing brain are a major target for the thyroid hormones T 3 and T 4. Thyroid hormones play a particularly crucial role in brain maturation during fetal development and first few years of postnatal life [28]
Euthyroidism: Normal thyroid function; Hypothyroidism: Reduced thyroid function primary hypothyroidism: Feedback loop interrupted by low thyroid secretory capacity, e.g. after thyroid surgery or in case of autoimmune thyroiditis; secondary hypothyroidism: Feedback loop interrupted on the level of pituitary, e.g. in anterior pituitary failure
After long-term heavy strain, levels of thyroid hormones decrease. [2] This is exacerbated by other stressors such as undernutrition and lack of sleep, such as in a military training setting. During endurance exercise, before exhaustion, elevated thyroid hormone levels may happen due to increased expected energy demand (type 2 allostatic load). [2]
Hypothyroidism (also called underactive thyroid, low thyroid or hypothyreosis) is a disorder of the endocrine system in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. [3] It can cause a number of symptoms, such as poor ability to tolerate cold , extreme fatigue, muscle aches , constipation , slow heart rate , depression , and ...
Congenital iodine deficiency syndrome (CIDS), also called cretinism, [2] is a medical condition present at birth marked by impaired physical and mental development, due to insufficient thyroid hormone production (hypothyroidism) often caused by insufficient dietary iodine during pregnancy.
Thyroid function tests (TFTs) is a collective term for blood tests used to check the function of the thyroid. [1] TFTs may be requested if a patient is thought to suffer from hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) or hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), or to monitor the effectiveness of either thyroid-suppression or hormone replacement therapy.